The Polish Officer

The polish officer by alan furst.

The polish officer. The polish officer a novel published by alan furst twenty years ago is an excellent study in the vagaries of polish history defined so much by being trapped between germany and russia. Neither master of deception nor killing machine de milja comes across as a lucky soldier who gets smarter at least in the ways of war as the book progresses. Dark evocative authentic and taut with suspense.

Then in the back alleys and black market bistr. To transport the national gold reserve to safety hidden on a refugee train to bucharest. The polish army officer class was representative of the multi ethnic polish state.

The polish officer is alexander de milja whom we first meet escorting poland s gold reserves out of the country into romania. 4 the polish officer is consistent with all of furst s other novels of the period during and around wwii in that he gives the period a view from another perspective. Working as a cartographer in the polish military before the fall of poland de milja is then recruited to the underground where his exploits see him assume various aliases.

As warsaw falls to hitler s wehrmacht captain alexander de milja is recruited by the intelligence service of the polish underground. To transport the national gold reserve to safety hidden on a refugee train to bucharest. His family belongs to the polish aristocracy and he is a graduate of the elite french military school saint cyr.

The murdered included ethnic poles polish ukrainians belarusians and polish jews including the chief rabbi of the polish army baruch steinberg. As warsaw falls to hitler s wehrmacht captain alexander de milja is recruited by the intelligence service of the polish underground. Alan furst an acknowledged master of the european espionage thriller has produced a stunning achievement in the polish officer.

More than that this is a novel replete with knowledge of wwii throughout europe with as much action occurring in france as poland. His war subsequently takes him to paris furst heartland to several cities in occupied france and finally back to poland. Alexander de milja is a young army officer.